With the accelerating adoption of networked service provider environments (e.g., “cloud” computing) around the world, organizations are increasingly seeking ways to identify individuals with demonstrated technical skills and knowledge of the best practices for operating in networked computing environments, including multi-tenant service provider environments. Certifications may be obtained to demonstrate that IT (Information Technology) professionals possess the skills and technical knowledge necessary for designing, deploying, and managing applications on a particular platform or in a particular environment. Earning certifications provides credibility for proven experience working with networked computing technologies, as well as contributes to an IT professional's proficiency with technology and applications based out of such networked computing environments.
In some instances, certifications may be provided through the service provider environment and may be used to certify proficiency with the service provider environment, including services available through the service provider environment, and/or may be used to certify proficiency with third-party technologies. Further, the service provider may provide a “test drive” or isolated test environment for enabling an IT professional to test services and applications within a service provider environment. Such isolated test environments may be provided for education, demonstration and/or evaluation purposes. Such test drives may also be used for certification purposes. Each test drive may include a server or other networked computing resource to launch and explore live enterprise solution stacks from third-party vendors and integrators. Some test drives may offer a step-by-step guided tour of the technologies available through the test drive or may present a structured series of tasks to be completed. Other test drives may be open-ended and allow users to experiment with little to no direction or even feedback on performance.